#the dark prophecy the cave of trophonius

[ukelele-boy]

I deliver Christmas gift to you all.

[citrusreadstoa]

Reading The Dark Prophecy: Chapter 28 (SPOILERS)

"getting an elephant into the Waystation was not as hard as I'd imagined." Yeah, of course it wasn't. This building literally materializes whatever size or shape entrance you need.

"a stream wending through the middle of the room" Did he misspell "winding"? No, apparently. WEND (v.): go in a specified direction, typically slowly or by an indirect route

"The Real Elephants of the African Veld" VELD (n.): open, uncultivated country or grassland in southern Africa. It is conventionally classified by altitude into highveld, middleveld, and lowveld imo it should've just been called "midveld."

"back to the main hall, where a crown had gathered . . . The rest of the freed prisoners milled around" This is such a nice, peaceful, happy scene that I'm sad it's not going to last. At least we got *checks book* two full pages of people being happy.

"The griffins allowed him to scratch under their beaks--a sign of great trust" Maybe Jamie isn't a bad guy after all? I'm still skeptical. "especially since they were guarding and egg in their neest (and no doubt worried that Sssssarah might see it)." I don't think even Sssssarah could swallow an egg that big, but she might try.

"a different green dress and jeans" Did you just say she's wearing a dress over jeans?

"Lady Artemis has been watching you." "Oh, no . . . You can tell my beloved sister to back off." You tell 'er, Apollo!

"Father!" Hehe oh noooooo "This isn't prophecy. This has never happened before--" Has Emmie been to the Cave of Trophonius a lot? How does she know?

"You sent this little sister of mine to do your errands?" Uhh. I'm guessing not on the mom's side, huh? When she said "Father" I was like OMG she's Apollo's kid! And then when it turned out to be Trophonius talking, that worry went away and SURPRISE NOW IT'S BACK! Interesting to note that Trophonius doesn't know that Georgina wasn't sent by Apollo. He doesn't know as much as you'd expect an Oracle to know.

"I wonder, Father, to whom will you pray?" True. To whom do the gods pray?

"the recovery rate for supplicants of Trophonius" SUPPLICANT (n.): one who supplicates Fuck you too, Merriam-Webster. Cambridge Dictionary says, SUPPLICANT (n.): a person who asks a god or someone who is in a position of power for something in a humble way

"No one had reported a missing baby girl like her. Her birth parents either didn't want her or couldn't raise her" Or was secretly a serial killer on the run who couldn't raise a child. Sounds about right with Apollo's standards for flings. Bad Decisions Box <- Georgina's biological mortal parent & Georgina's subsequent abandonment

"enter the Cavern of Prophecy." We're finally going innnnnnnn! Death and madness, here we come! Eat it like well-cooked ramen!

"I'm not sure." "All hail the god of prophecy!" Got nothing to say, just wanted to highlight that little bit.

"tracking devices I put on your griffins" Gee thanks, Lit. "first thing tomorrow morning. He'll wipe this place off the map." Can't thank ya more, Lit.

I feel like someone is definitely getting sealed in that cave. There's never a cave in a story without a rockfall or cave-in also happening and someone getting shut inside a stony tomb, never to be seen again.

[theamazingmaddyas]

The Dark Prophecy rants (part 2): Georgina and Apollo

As stated prior, I had read the Dark Prophecy before, back in 2017 when it was released, and every year I would get the new book and convince myself that it would confirm or deny whether Georgina was actually Apollo's bio daughter, and every year I'd get dissappointed. It got to the point that I went to the virtual Tower of Nero tour back in 2020 and my book was backordered so I hadn't read it yet, but gaslight myself into believing that TON would state it so hard that I decided not to ask Rick Riordan though I really really wanted to. (Yes, I did scream out loud a week later when I read it and the ONLY SCENE WAS GEORGIE ASKING ABOUT HER DOLL AND APOLLO LOST IT)

Somehow, gaslighting myself runs deep because I gaslit myself that I just misremembered The Dark Prophecy and Georgie's parentage would be in the book. Which is why I waited until I finished to make this post, even though I think I knew deep down Georgie's godly parentage was not confirmed. Spoiler alert, it was not. In fact, Trophonius specifically said he wouldn't tell Apollo so he suffered and I screamed. Uhg! I think I suffered more than Apollo!

And okay, I understand Rick's message being that Georgie has parents; Jo and Emmie. And Jo and Emmie are her real parents. But what 13 yo me (and me now) is most interested in is godly powers. Whether Georgie is Apollo's bio kid or not changes everything about whether or not the allure of the Cave has to do with her godly parentage, and whether or not her visions are the power of prophesy. Because if it is, that has the implications that Georgie could suffer a similar fate to Hal Green if she uses this power.

Over the last 7 years, I've bounced off a lot of theories of Georgie's godly parentage, and so I'm going to share them now. I'm going to split them into 2 categories: Category 1: Georgie is related to Apollo, and Category 2, She's not.

Category 1:

1) Georgie doesn't look like her bio mortal parent, nor is she from Indianapolis originally

Apollo, though I think it pains him to admit this, remembers his children through their mortal parents. He's an absentee father, so he doesn't know much about his kids, but he does know about his partners. We see this in how we first meet all his kids: Will is compared to Naomi, Kayla to Darren, Austin to Latricia, and Trophonius to his own mother. He tries to think of if he was in Indianapolis 8 years earlier, and with whom and falls short. And in Tower of Nero, to my memory (about to gaslight myself for 3 more books that I remembered TON wrong) he never mentions remembering again when he becomes a god. If Agamethus found her somewhere else and brought her to Waystation, it would make sense why Lester wouldn't make the connection. As for why Apollo doesn't mention it when becoming a god again and being the GOD OF KNOWLEDGE HE SHOULD KNOW THESE THINGS NOW I don't know, and it irks my soul.

2) Georgie is the daughter of Apollo's Roman aspect

This theory is my favorite, especially since it makes the most sense with the Roman emperor plotline, and since Apollo's memories seem to be mostly greek, why he wouldn't be able to remember Georgie or her bio mortal parent. It also could explain why Apollo doesn't mention anything in Tower of Nero. Of course, we know very little about how different Apollo's greek and roman aspects are in the series, especially since he's the only god who has the same name, but I'm sure there's some differences.

Category 2:

1) Georgie is a clear-sighted mortal and destined to be an Oracle

This theory of mine relates Georgie to Rachel Dare and May Castellan. In the same way that they were having visions about being the Oracle of Delphi, Georgie was having visions of the Cave. Georgie is Trophonius' little sister in the metaphorical sense, as she is destined to rule an Oracle like he did. Of course, in the case of May, Hades' curse sent her mad, but it is heavily implied that she was supposed to be the Oracle of her generation. It seems to me that each generation has one clear sighted mortal to become the Oracle of Delphi, so it's possible that Georgie is the oracle post-Rachel in this theory. I'm not sure how far apart in age the oracles are meant to be, but it's always a possibility. Or, like the Oracle of Delphi, the Dark Oracle has chosen mortals to take it on, but since Trophonius has been trapped doing it for a millenia or more, those mortals never get the chance to, like May, and go mad. And with the dissolving of the Oracle, Georgie is no longer destined to that awful fate.

2) Georgie's connection to Agamethus is what drives her. She's either a clear sighted mortal, or a demigod of another parentage.

Trophonius, in this theory, views Georgie as a little sister because Agamethus views Georgie as a little sister. Agamethus is the one who found her, so it makes sense that he has some form of kinship to her, and therefore his brother does too. And because Trophonius has taking a liking to her, he's sent her visions. In this theory, Georgie's bio parents could be literally anyone. She could be a demigod, a legacy, or a mortal.

3) Georgie's a legacy of Apollo (Greek or Roman, doesn't make a difference)

To be honest, I wasn't sure which category this fell into, but I chose this one because she's not specifically Apollo's daughter. The sister is metaphorical in this sense too. Legacy's can sometimes inherit powers (as seen in the Zhang family, as well as if one believes Octavian has some prophetic powers) so it would be there that Georgie's interest in the Cave starts. Also, would explain why Apollo doesn't remember her, because she's his kid's kid, or even more generations than that (though if I had to guess, if this theory were true, I'd say no more than great-grandkid)

So, those are my theories! Yes, I think about Georgie way more than I should over the last seven years, but I digress. I just want to know about if she has powers, and what Cabin she'd be at CHB if she went, so I can write cool canon-compliant fics about her!

If you've read my Solangelo fic "Surprise!" on ao3, in Chapter 8, "Leo and Calypso's Garage: Auto Repair and Mechanical Monsters" you'd notice that I did write Georgie, who's seventeen in that fic, as having clairvoyance, as seen when she knows Lena Valdez (Leo's adopted daughter) is going to come into the garage where her and Harley are fixing Harley's car (he and Georgie are best friends, and no one can change my mind). Obviously, I thought a lot about it beforehand, but decided that I would make her a bio Apollo kid for that fic, though whether she's Greek or Roman is up in the air. Though, even if she were Roman, I do not think she'd join the legion. Jo and Emmie would be very much against that, I think. As for Camp Half-Blood, if she were a demigod, I think they'd be very skeptical, but would let her go for the summer because she'd beg after hearing Leo and Harley's (my hc is that Harley lives in Waystation which is why he's not a year rounder in TSATS, if you want more on this theory, I'll elaborate later.) stories about camp. At least, unlike Camp Jupiter, she wouldn't have to stay year round till her legionare years are up.

In conclusion, Rick Riordan, confirm Georgie's bio parentage, and give her a list of powers and a CHB cabin, and my life is yours. I've been thinking about this nonstop for 7 years, I know Trophonius was trying to hurt Apollo, but he ended up causing me multiple sleepness nights instead.

[rhiamaykes]

Having recently read The Trials of Apollo for the first time, here is my theory for who Georgina's bio parents are:

Trophonius and someone who was sent to use the oracle by the emperor or stumbled upon the cave by accident. I think they either didn't survive childbirth or were driven mad by the dark oracle.

I think that is why Agamethus was able to touch her to bring her to the Waystation despite being a ghost (she is his niece), why he knew of her existence in the first place and why he cared enough about her to stay at the Waystation watching over her.

I think her being the daughter of Trophonius explains why she was drawn to the dark oracle and able to survive after so long without using the throne of memory.

Why would Trophonius call her his little sister and not his daughter? Well, the guy is messed up, he hates his Dad and wants to mess with him, I don't think he is very reliable when not providing prophecy, but also it has been his plan to be destroyed, he knows he can't watch over Georgi so maybe he is trying to make Apollo be a father for her.

[teenageread]

Review: The Dark Prophecy

Synopsis:

Go West. Capture Apollo before he can find the next oracle. If you cannot bring him to me alive, kill him.

Those were the orders my old enemy Nero had given to Meg McCaffrey. But why would an ancient Roman emperor zero in on Indianapolis? And now that I have made it here (still in the embarrassing form of Lester Papadopoulos), where is Meg?

Meg, my demigod master, is a cantankerous street urchin. She betrayed me to Nero back at Camp Half-Blood. And while I’m moral, she can order me to do anything… even kill myself. Despite all this, if I have a chance of prying her away from her villainous stepfather, I have to try.

But I’m new to this heroic-quest business, and my father, Zeus, stripped me of all my godly powers. Oh, the indignities and pain I have already suffered! Untold humiliation, impossible time limits, life-threatening danger… Shouldn’t there be a reward at the end of each completed task? Not just more deadly quests? 

I vow that if I ever regain my godhood, I will never again send a poor mortal on a quest. Unless it is really important. And unless I am sure the moral can handle it. And unless I am pressed for time… or I really just don’t feel like doing it myself. I will be much kinder and more generous than everyone is being to me – especially that sorceress Calypso. What does Leo see in her, anyway?

Plot:

Honestly Apollo did not see why Leo returning to Camp Half-Blood was such a big deal. What was a big deal was them traveling west to Indianapolis to find Nero, and Meg. Traveling on Leo’s flying dragon, Apollo was sore, bored, and done with Calypso. The former sorceress was a royal pain to Apollo, treating him as a moral, and not the god that he is… or worse. Once they arrived in Indianapolis Meg was nowhere in sight, but Nero’s men were everywhere. Saved by Emmie, she took them back to the Waystation. Emmie and her wife Jo told them about their daughter, and how she was obsessed with The cave of Trophonius, and how Nero kidnapped her. Apollo’s past is catching up with him fast, a past that he cannot remember. The oracle in the cave is his son, Emmie, the girl he accidentally saved, and the villain, who goes by New Hercules, was someone Apollo was desperately trying to forget. 

Thoughts:

Rick Riordan introduced us to sassy and spoiled Apollo in the first book, and he is back and worse than ever in this installment. Apollo, well he still does not understand how this moral life works. Which makes him a great character to read about, because where some of his decisions, like with Meg, and for the good of the group, there are some times where you just want to punch him in his mortal face. The plot moved on steadily in the story, leaving with an ending that definitely leads into the next book, and with more characters from the past that readers are dying to hear about. The main plot is still left in the shadows quite a bit, as it is with Apollo against Python, who was not mentioned much in this story, and Apollo against Nero, who has a hold over Meg who is the only mortal Apollo seems to care about. Meg, who is such a strong character that Riordan put so much detail into and she grows a lot in this book compared to the first. With many more books left in the series, Riordan is nowhere near done. Maybe Meg will be able to grow Apollo a heart for the morals he thinks so little of, and maybe Apollo will let Meg see that she does not need Nero in her life.

Read more reviews: Goodreads

Buy the book: Amazon

[polhbayarea]

The dark prophecy the cave of trophonius

Apollo, Meg, and a new companion, Grover leave for the Southwest United States to find the next emperor that they must defeat. Leo and Calypso leave to warn some allies in California of an attack. Meg's sanity is restored and with that, a prophecy is spoken. Apollo is able to summon a surge of his old godly power to reveal his true godly form and blind Commodus, who falls out the second-floor window.Īlthough Commodus survived his fall and fled, Emmie and her daughter are safe again. Apollo and Meg leave Calypso behind and go to the cave of Trophonius and destroy the oracle and return to Emmie's house with an only half-sane Meg.Ĭommodus has broken into Emmie's home and his former victims, Emmie, Leo, and Calypso are fighting him. They also swiped the throne of memory on their way out. The three receive help from a large group of female archers and rescue the missing people, returning them home. The emperor is now identified as Commodus. "I am so happy to have my little girl back home and safe."Īpollo and Calypso, along with Apollo's long lost companion Meg, infiltrate the emperor's hiding place. They are rescued by Apollo's former companion, Meg, after they are pursued by the emperor's men. He probably fled."Īpollo and Calypso find themselves in a secret section of the Indianapolis Zoo searching for two Griffins that disappeared from their owners' home (courtesy of the crazy net goddess, Britomartis), and to obtain clues that might help them find the Roman emperor who is believed to be responsible for the disappearances. In addition, the teen trio must stop the emperor from taking over and destroy the oracle of Trophonius if they can find it. Our teen trio of the god Apollo, Leo the demigod and Calypso the titaness are called upon to come to the rescue. People in Indianapolis are inexplicably disappearing. Meg: "Ready for another ridiculous mission?" Cave of Trophonius Riordan Wiki Fandom The Burning Maze, The Dark Prophecy. They are rescued by an elderly woman named Emmie, who brings them into her home. Along with the spirit of Trophonius himself, the cave also contains. In the summer of 2011, we find our main characters Apollo, Calypso,Leo in Indianapolis, Indiana far from home. Pausanias described the emotional experience received by the devotees at the oracle of Trophonius as they descended into the. "I have to rescue these Griffins, find clues about the emperor, and not get caught in the process? I have to do all of this with nobody but Calypso?" Unfortunately for them, this is the seat of power for the. I rescued you because I just knew you had been sent by the gods to help us." Apollo, Meg, Leo and Calypso find themselves in Indianapolis looking for the Cave of Trophonius. We don't even know his name or what he looks like."Įmmie: "My daughter, Georgina, and countless others have been disappearing. Riding a dragon is not a good way to spend six months."Īpollo: "We have to locate and fight a half-immortal Roman emperor. Leo: "How do I calm Calypso down? I can't blame her.

[elayshooo]

i was so into mysme that i forgot about percy... no i didn't forgot about percy i love him so much its just mysme is taking a lot of my time now lolol excuses i feel like im just blabbering maybe the reason why i wasnt searching for pjo stuffs is because i was considering this blog to be a blog solely for mysme, like mysme art blog (so excited for his cameo on ship of nails; and oh, i love magnus of course!! i enjoy that series so much so excited for the book this august) oh gahd now i want to reread pjo... i have so much to do and class starts at the second week of august I HAVE SO MANY THINGS TO BE EXCITED ABOUT THIS MONTH OF AUGUST school excluded of course i just started vacation why is school approaching so fast

[louspideyverse]

I really didn't like the dark prophecy. the only character I was actually invested in was meg, I didn't care about anyone else really. apollo is a slightly less annoying person, Leo was just so unlikeable and I never really liked calypso to begin with. both of them didn't do anything? also the only interesting thing happening in the whole book was the cave of trophonius, nothing else. ugh anyway, I hope the next one is better

also no solangelo at all? the book's already lost before it even started

[unlikely-allies]

**Light Spoilers**

4/5

In the second book of the Trials of Apollo Series, Apollo, Calypso, and Leo arrive in Indiana after a journey in which Festus had to battle a goddess who resembled the Kool-Aid Man. The tri seeks refuge at the Weighstation, a hideout run by two women, Jo and Emmie, who were previously members of the Hunter of Artemis. Jo and Emmie are familiar with the second Oracle Apollo must find, the Cave of Trophonius, and agree to give Apollo and co. the location, if the trio can find members of the Weighstation who have gone missing. Britomartis’ griffins, who live at the station, have been taken by the local emperor, as has Jo and Emmie’s adopted daughter Georgie.

Leo stays at the Weighstation to help Jo reinforce the building’s defenses, while Apollo and Calypso head to the zoo to search for the griffins. Calypso and Apollo find the magical creatures, and manage to free some of the emperor’s prisoners. They are also joined by Meg, whom Apollo has granted forgiveness. Back at the Weighstation, our heroes prepare to battle the emperor, who has been identified as Commodus. Apollo and Commodus have a history, making their dynamic all that much more tumultuous. Their face off however is put on hold, because while Jo, Emmie, and the refugees defend the Weighstation, Apollo, Leo, and Meg must travel to the Cave of Trophonius, and retrieve one of the most dynamic prophecies of the PJO/HOO/TOA universe.

Though the Dark Prophecy seemed to have less action and mystery than the Hidden Oracle, I think I actually enjoyed the storytelling in the Dark Prophecy more. Honestly, this could be due to the fact that Leo Valdez in a major player in the Dark Prophecy. The dynamic between Apollo and Meg is good for a few laughs, but it is the comedy of Leo Valdez that really enriches a novel. Leo-based bias aside, Riordan continues to please with the second book of the Trials of Apollo series. As the series progresses, each novel shows Apollo facing various aspects of his old life and obtaining a greater understanding for what it is to be human. In the Hidden Oracle, Apollo was faced with representations of the darker parts of his godly personality. In the Dark Prophecy, Apollo must realize the implications that his past actions as a god have had on those he has encountered over the years. As Apollo explores more of himself, the storytelling and plot become more dynamic.

The Trials of Apollo continues to be engaging and entertaining, while deviating from the format representative of the PJO and HOO series. The Dark Prophecy introduces more creatures and figures from mythology, as well as highlighting the topics of self-realization, self-sacrifice, and redemption. I look forward to seeing Apollo develop more as a character, and to see what other heroes from this universe make cameos in the next book.

[hazelintheskywithdiamonds-blog]

what i thought of the dark prophecy

so i know it's taken a while but here it is like damn i enjoyed this book a lot, i kinda had to force myself to read the hidden oracle cause it felt a bit slow in the middle, but like this one was such a treat to read. i really felt like this book was so funny tbh it kinda brought me back to pjo which was so great. i posted some of my favourite comedic lines so you could totally check that out *winks* also i really enjoyed how this book had a darker tone to it. like the whole backstory of the cave of trophonius was kinda dark really. i totally felt that this book would have some deeper, more serious consequences, which it did. so there was a lot of new characters and wow they were so good. jo and emmie were so great like please adopt me mums. also the prisoners like sssssarah and olujime were so awesome. and i audibly screamed when grover was revealed. i really hope lityerses has a redemption arc cause i kinda feel bad for the dude. uncle rick really did so well at writing for commodus, he made me really actually hate the villain which doesn't happen a lot for me. so now im actually just waiting for next year because mainly grover but also the prophecy sounded so good. i really hope the next book keeps the serious tone to it cause honestly that was my favourite part of the dark prophecy

[aislynndmerricksson]

Book Review: The Trials of Apollo: The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan

Book Review: The Trials of Apollo: The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan

Riordan’s second Trials of Apollo book, The Dark Prophecy, sparks the search for the next oracle, and a confrontation with another of the Triumvirate. Apollo, Meg, Leo and Calypso find themselves in Indianapolis looking for the Cave of Trophonius. Unfortunately for them, this is the seat of power for the emperor calling himself the New Hercules, and the city is filled with blemmyae- impeccably…

[citrusreadstoa]

Reading The Dark Prophecy: Chapter 37 (SPOILERS)

I just reread the last sentence of chapter 36, "At last, things were looking up!" and I immediately know that this chapter is going to be a hot disaster.

"Your favorite fruit? / I hope you didn't say grapes / Or apples, or figs" I also immediately know that this chapter is going to heavily feature Peaches.

"one last vile curse like, Oh, gosh darn it." Ashamed to say that this would be me.

"whanged against the hulls of the barges" WHANG (v.): make or produce a resonant noise Gotta get my mind out of the gutter. Of course it doesn't mean what you'd first think it means. Wait, they have room for barges down there? Aren't those boats kind of big to fit in a cave? I didn't think they updated to 1.18 already.

"Oh my gods! Look over there!" Yeah, my brain would work about as effectively if I were in the same situation. "so they executed a full one-hundred-and-eighty-degree waddle." Oh yeah, that's actually exponentially more effective on blemmyae. I wonder if anyone else has tried that on them before.

"I was fairly sure I hadn't caused the ceiling to crack and collapse." Peaches! "Blind luck?" Peaches! "Or perhaps the spirit of Trophonius had granted me one last grudging favor for destroying his cave." No, Peaches!

"'Hmm?' I asked. 'What friend?'" Gaslight Gatekeep Girlboss

"crushing my ulna and radius together." The definitions are too long, so to summarize: These are the two bones in your forearm. The ULNA is thinner and longer and on the opposite side as your thumb. The RADIUS is thicker and shorter and on the same side as your thumb.

"More likely, though, they were already in the area" "They"? Peaches is a "he," right? "Three karpoi" Oh, our dear Peaches brought friends. What are they, Apples and Figs? "three peach spirits" Oh no, they're all peaches. What do we refer to them as now? They're all Peaches!

Peaches ex machina

"I'm Apollo." "Peaches pointed to his friend on the right. 'Peaches.' Then to the baby demon on his left. 'Peaches.'" That's what I frickin' thought.

"I realized I wasn't going to be driving anywhere." Why not? Humans drive one-handed all the time. Apollo especially, being such a prolific driver of the sun chariot every day, should be able to drive one-handed easily. "Then I passed out." Okay, now he's not going to be driving anywhere.

[citrusreadstoa]

Reading The Dark Prophecy: Chapter 36 (SPOILERS)

"I may have mentioned: I am not the god of the sea." No, really?

"Air? Radiation? Limeade? Any of those sounded better than drowning in the dark." Including radiation? Apollo, do you know what that does to a mortal body? 'Cause it's sounding a lot like you don't.

"It seemed impossible that [Nanette] should have regenerated from Tartarus so soon" Mrs. Dodds regenerated really fast and she had the support of a god. I suppose the monsters in service to the Triumvirate might have their own secret passage out along with enhanced regeneration courtesy of the Triumvirate's patronage.

"because I know where the red wire goes!" Yeah, you can't kill him now! If you do, you'll have to sit through the holding music!

"Hum-um-um . . . Shumma-shumma." I've heard that song somewhere before, I swear.

"why so many blemmyae preferred to disguise themselves in mortal uniforms. Of course they were color-blind." Oh, that's clever. If you want to avoid standing out in mismatched colors, simply pick something that has the colors pre-decided for you! The blemmyae may not be too creative, but this is one thing they got right!

"Of course, that probably meant the Germani were fighting my friends at the Waystation right now, but I could only handle one earth-shattering crisis at a time." Exactly, Apollo. Priorities.

"Ah . . . but it's a well-known fact that underwater, timers take twice as long, so you'd actually have ten seconds." Please, Fates, let them believe this. "Are you sure about that?" . . . "He just said it was a well-known fact. Don't be impolite!" Yes, of course! You think he would lie to you?

[citrusreadstoa]

Reading The Dark Prophecy: Chapter 35 (SPOILERS)

"I turned her onto her side, as one should do for someone after they have a seizure." Rick Riordan offering lifesaving medical advice! Thank you!

"Ahem . . . So about this favor you promised--" "Shut up!" Lol it's such bad timing he doesn't even get the words out.

"Well, she makes your table manners look positively refined!" Is Persephone canonically a messy eater? Not the lore I was expecting to get today. "Demeter might make you the minor goddess of cute little piglets!" You have too much to live for! You might become the immortal god of pigs!

"Hope . . . Interesting word. I had hope once--that my father might act like a father. I got over it after a few centuries of being dead." Lmao Trophonius is such a salty boy.

With Meg having swallowed the bees instead of Apollo, are we not going to get Apollo's firsthand experience of swallowing death and madness? That's very disappointing.

"coughing up random words like horse, crossword, cloven, roots." Are these words we should pay attention to? I'm going to write them down anyway.

"Was forced death and madness to swallow." The mouth CPR thing? "mouth-to-mouth resuscitation" Yes, that! "(Those silly Roman demigods were always drowning.)" Gee, I wonder why. *eyes decrepit Neptune temple*

"Then, our minds cominlged, Meg and I plunged into primordial Chaos" OH, that's not the New York Public Library! "I shielded Meg from the miasma as best I could" Would it be able to hurt her if she's not physically there? Could it hurt Apollo, too? Also, MIASMA (n.): an oppressive or unpleasant atmosphere which surrounds or emanates from something

"Swift white horse . . . The crossword speaker. Lands of scorching death." Thanks! We get the full version of what Meg was rambling before.

"I could pass into the Fields of Punishment. Didn't I deserve to be punished for my many crimes?" Yes. You kinda have unfinished business, though. But yes. Definitely yes. "Unfortunately, Meg felt the same way." No, Meg! I don't know exactly what she's done in the Imperial Household, but just like Hazel's mother's influence was considered in Hazel's judgement, Nero's influence must be considered when weighing Meg's life. She also fought against this influence in the recent months. If Meg were to die now, I have no doubt she would go to the Fields of Elysium.

Of course, they're not going to die now.

"Thank the Three Fates" So that's who gods thank when they say that! It's been nagging at the back of my mind since I first started reading PJO.

"Destroy this cave." That was unexpected. Does Trophonius want to pass on into the afterlife? Is he hoping he and his brother can be reunited in death? "This location is too exposed . . . Perhaps my Oracle will reappear somewhere else in a few centuries . . . Maybe that will give you time to become a nicer father." Lol. So he just wants to move house. Fair enough. I can't bring myself to dislike Trophonius. Yeah, he drive a couple little girls insane, but who hasn't? He's remarkably stable for someone who has carried on in the solitude of darkness and fear and misery for the past few millennia. He hates Apollo for good reason. There's nothing to dislike Trophonius for other than the madness he hands out like candy.

"And Agamethus? Will he disappear as well?" . . . "Eventually" Are you telling me Brieanna doesn't get to pass on into the afterlife? No, no. I'm changing canon. He does find his way to the Underworld eventually. If it doesn't happen on its own, either Apollo or Leo will get word to Nico about it. There we go. Easy fix. Agamethus finds peace.

[citrusreadstoa]

Reading The Dark Prophecy: Chapter 34 (SPOILERS)

"Apollo, sing!" Underwater?

"(Oh, I get it! That's why they were called cottonmouths!)" Awful fucking way to learn exactly what kind of snake is in this lake. They're usually native to southeastern US, but this is a magic cave, so what the heck. Also, their bites can be fatal.

"Water moccasins are poisonous." I think you mean venomous. That Lethe water must be getting to you.

"Your blood on my hands. The crushed rose I couldn't save." Who is Meg singing about? Off the top of my head, probably her mortal dad. I wonder if we'll soon learn more about him.

"Something told me this cave was not the right place to bare one's soul." Very true, Trophonius could be listening and he does not sound like a kind fella.

"soft, kind eyes. He held out a single red rose." Meg's dead father? A memory of him?

"Just outside the New York Public Library in Midtown, a man's corpse sprawled on the white marble steps." In public? "Police milled around, taking notes, snapping photos" Yes, in public.

So I guess we learned more about Meg's dad. That was a little sooner than I expected.

"swirling upward like a waterspout, forming the shape of a man." Trophonius! Meg, stop your solo! I know you've gotten into your rhythm and all, but it kinda sorta really does have to end here. At this rate, Trophonius is going to think you're here for the prophecy.

"Around him swarmed a host of phantom bees, his sacred creatures, small smudges of darkness." I'm sorry, this totally broke the tension. That's a cute image.

"I've waited a long time, Father." We already knew he was his son, but I gotta say, it feels like half the characters in this series are children of Apollo.

"I could answer them, for the price of her sanity." Thanks, but I think I'll come back for the Black Friday sale.

"Take me instead . . . Did you listen to me then, Father?" Ooh, truly unfortunate choice of words. If he wasn't going to take her before, he'll do so now out of spite.

"'She is precious to you,' said the Oracle." It feels significant that he's referred to as the Oracle here rather than as Trophonius.

"Yes, I would die to save Meg McCaffrey." CHARACTER 👏🏻 DEVELOPMENT 👏🏻

"Very good!" He let that slide wayyyy too easily. Getting Trophonius to give the prophecy to Apollo instead of Meg should have taken a lot more work and a lot more time. "Then promise me that you'll grant me a wish." . . . "I swear. Whatever you ask." There it is. Apollo is racking up favors faster than a kid's birthday party. "Oh, I didn't promise anything in return!" THERE IT IS! Good trick, Trophonius! Very good.

[citrusreadstoa]

Reading The Dark Prophecy: Chapter 32 (SPOILERS)

"ADOPT-A-HIGHWAY / NEXT FIVE MILES SPONSORED BY: / TRIUMVIRATE HOLDINGS" LMAO WHAT? Is this a real thing? Naturally, I looked it up. The Adopt-a-Highway and Sponsor-a-Highway programs encourage companies to keep a section of road free from litter and in return, they get brand visibility on that section of the highway. Neat. I'm glad Triumvirate Holdings cares about- cares about- I'm sorry, I can't keep a straight face. These guys were just about to flatten the entire Long Island Sound forest.

"as if I were bathing in a cold soup--Apollo gazpacho." GAZPACHO (n.): a cold soup and drink made of raw, blended vegetables, also called Andalusian gazpacho. It originated in the southern regions of the Iberian peninsula and spread into other areas I need to try this someday. Cold soup is the best.

"When the spirit of Trophonius said 'first light,' did he mean nautical twilight? Dawn? the moment when the sun chariot's headlights were first visible" Yes, finally someone thinks about the details! "Dawn" is an incredibly vague time but stories tend to act like it's very cut and dry. I reckon they have until the sky is fully blue.

"Those are yales." Are we sure these cows are Ivy League material? I know their students can be snobby, but bullheadedness is another thing. "they sound almost cute. Let me assure you, they were not." Google Images shows me that they look sort of like a cross between a boar, a gazelle, and a unicorn?

"yales are on the endangered-monster list." You've got to be kidding me. So you can kill them, you just shouldn't. Good to know the mythological world has endangered monster lists, too. I imagine killing one would be akin to killing a god's sacred animal and then getting smote or cursed. "When monsters start to fade from mortals' collective memory, they regenerate less and less often from Tartarus." Oh, so mortals' memory affects monsters, too! I figured it must have, but nice to have confirmation. Guess the Minotaur and Medusa and the sirens aren't going away anytime soon.

I doubt any demigod would be having the same internal struggle about whether to kill these monsters or not. It'd be slash-slash-dead.

"As yales attacked, their horns swiveled . . . The horns also spun" WHAT THE HELL? Their horns swivel and spin??? Is this an animal or a power tool?

"I would've gotten millions of likes on GodTube!" Are there even millions of gods? I guess nymphs and spirits use it as well. Do you think demigods and legacies have access to the divine Internet?

"These harvards aren't going to give us time." They might get offended by that. Don't the two have a rivalry or something?

"Get ready." "For what?" "No spoilers." Not the time, Meg! Really, very much not the time.

"One spring bubbled diluted white" Get your mind out of the gutter, Citrus.

"a coil of rope was tied to an iron piton." PITON (n.): a peg or spike driven into a rock or crack to support a climber or a rope

"We have to drink." Meg is coming too? Does she also have to swallow death and madness?

"Mnemosyne, the Spring of Memory, is black. Lethe, the Spring of Forgetfulness, is white." The Lethe keeps switching from black to white and vice versa. The Hypnos cabin had Lethe water that was milky white, but another time the river was mentioned (maybe in "The Sword of Hades" but I don't recall exactly) it was black. Now it's white again. Unless this Lethe spring is separate from the river? Don't tell me this is another Rhea-Rhea Silvia situation.

"No time!" Uh oh, Meg is going into the Oracle cave with zilch for protection. Is she gonna make it out sane?